Acceptance
by Kei Yukio
Summary: Rika visits Sora's apartment after chapter 160.


Rika stood silently on the rooftop, her eyes locking on the scene below. She sighed quietly as the wind tugged at her hair and pushed it back out of her face. The street below was crowded with people going about their normal lives, with no idea of how things had gone wrong. She turned to walk back towards the door but stopped halfway, her gaze drawn to the spot where Sora always used to sit in his chair. The betrayal had hit her hard, after everything she'd agreed to when he'd taken on training Ikki. And now, Sora was gone and who knew if she'd ever see him again. She shouldn't even want to see him again under these circumstances, but she did

Just as Ringo had made her choice to join Sleeping Forest, Rika had made her own choices and Sora was the one thing she'd always had to fall back on. She had been in love with him since she was a teenager and she still was. The only difference was the amount of pain that love caused her, now, due to the man's actions. She'd known he wanted to take AT back up but this... She'd never expected any of it. The deaths of Spitfire and the Aeon Clock had come as a shock to her, and she still hadn't fully comprehended that Sora was the person who had orchestrated all this. It was unfathomable to her that the same man who had been at her side was capable of that. But the truth was undeniable.

Rika walked over to place her hand against the wall, eyes closing. She could almost feel him here with her, even though he was gone on his mission to gain the one thing he'd always wanted. There was going to be another fight and this time. he might not come back. If she was honest with herself, she'd admit the Sora she knew was gone but part of her clung to the hope he'd come back and everything would be like it had been.

She knew Kilik wouldn't let Sora go again. Not this time. Someone was going to end up dead and things would keep repeating themselves until all the Regalia were destroyed or something made the use of AT defunct. She hated the sight of the skates, they brought nothing but pain to those she cared for and herself. If they'd never been invented, then maybe, just maybe, there wouldn't have been the bloodshed and violence of their world.

She had never regretted turning her back on the use of AT and she still didn't. Rika walked through the door and down into Sora's apartment, letting herself in with a key he'd given her . The rooms were littered with magazines and clothes, and a small smile curved her lips as she began picking up the items distracting herself from her thoughts with the cleaning. By the time she was done she'd made her way into the bedroom and just stared down at the bed before she sat on the edge, where she gently ran fingers over the coverlet before tears started sliding down her cheeks.

He was never going to come back. Sleeping Forest would make sure of that. If he ever gained the Sky Regalia, everything would be over. The Sora she knew was dead┘.and might have never existed at all. She raised a hand to wipe at her eyes.

_"_Damn you_"_

The words were spoken softly through her tears, her voice ragged as she caught sight of a picture of both of them together on the bedside table. Ringo had taken it on the rooftop one time; it almost seemed like another life. Rika curled up on the bed, her fingers clenching in the coverlet.

"If you come back, I'm going to kill you myself "

The woman closed her eyes, the tears soaking into the coverlet. She didn't know how long she lay there, but when she finally stood and dried her face she'd come to a decision. Her footsteps were quiet as she walked towards the door, dropping the key on a table before she let herself out and made sure the door was locked behind her.

This chapter of her life was over and it was time to make a new start. There were still people who needed her to look after them, and she couldn't let this destroy her again. Sora had made his own choice, and she had to respect that. Her expression was calm as she made her way home to prepare dinner for her sisters. That was where her future lay after all.


End file.
